World Book Night is a celebration of reading and books! Tens of thousands of people will share books with others in their communities across America, spreading the joy and love of reading on April 23rd.

Join Amoeba Hollywood as we distribute FREE paperback copies of the Ray Bradbury classic Fahrenheit 451 upon request. Just ask for your copy at the info counter on the main floor. Quantities will be limited, so it's first come, first served.

The internationally acclaimed Fahrenheit 451 is a masterwork of twentieth-century literature set in a bleak, dystopian future. Although it was written over half a century ago, this classic is incredibly relevant to modern culture and critical of our dependence on technology.

Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But then he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television. When Mildred attempts suicide and Clarisse suddenly disappears, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known. He starts hiding books in his home, and when his pilfering is discovered, the fireman has to run for his life.

Today is the 57th birthday ofX Minus One, a science fiction anthology that debuted on NBC radio on 24 April, 1955.

It began as a sort-of revival of pioneering sci-fi program, Dimension X and the first fifteen episodes were remakes from that series. The remainder of the episodes were originals from staff writers Ernest

Countdown for blastoff... X minus five, four, three, two, X minus one... Fire! From the far horizons of the unknown come transcribed tales of new dimensions in time and space. These are stories of the future; adventures in which you'll live in a

million could-be years on a thousand may-be worlds. The National Broadcasting Company, in cooperation with Street

As a result of renewed interest in Old Time Radio, Robert Silverberg wrote a new episode "The Iron Chancellor" in 1973 but did not result in a revival.

NBC was infamous for not showing much interest in their radio programs -- especially as radio waned and TV waxed -- and Dimension X suffered from being bounced around between Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and barely received any promotion. However, they didn't skimp on the writing and sound effects budget and the results were frequently amazing.

Ultimately the series ran for 124 episodes (plus the audition). Its last episode aired 9 January, 1958. Almost all episodes have been preserved and most can be listened to here. They also appear on CDs and Audio DVDs, which can sometimes be found at Amoeba. NB: the ongoing popularity of X Minus One has led to some unscrupulous folks splicing together various previously existing material from different sources to create "newly discovered" episodes. Special thanks to the folks at the Digital Deli Toofor their hard work in the name of preserving OTR. Consult with them before splurging.

Dimension X debuted on NBC radio on this day (April 8), 1950. The first thirteen episodes were performed live whilst the remainder were pre-recorded. It was directed by Fred Wiehe and Edward King. The narrator and announcer was Norman Rose, who began each program with the introduction, "Adventures in time and space- told in future tense..." before "Dimension X!" boomed and echoed.

works.
It was first auditioned as Out of This World, which it was originally auditioned as on February 23, 1950. Though one of the best sci-fi series ever, the famously clueless folks at NBC never gave it proper promotion or care, bouncing it around to various slots on four different days of the week.

One of my favorite spots in L.A. is having a birthday party for the legendary Ray Bradbury. The Mystery and Imagination bookstore is hosting the event for the author of such legendary works as Fahrenheit 451 & The Martian Chronicles as well as many volumes of short stories, Forever And The Earth being my personal favorite. I doubt that the crowd will be as well dressed as the group below though. Any fan of genre fiction that hasn't been to the store HAS to make a trip down there, even if it's not on the 22nd. Their stock of pulp, fantasy & sci-fi is stunning and the owners are true believers who are passionate about their work.